This Rolls-Royce jet engine is made from over 152,000 Lego bricks

Shane McGlaun, 11th July 2012

One of my favorite things in all of geekdom is insane Lego projects that use hordes of little bricks to build real life and unexpected items.

For example, the folks at Rolls-Royce recently showcased one of the most impressive Lego builds I've ever seen at the Farnborough International Airshow. It took 152,455 bricks, but they managed to re-create an insanely lifelike and accurate version of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner engine.

In case you're wondering, 152,455 Lego bricks weigh in at 677 pounds. The entire sculpture is 6.56 feet long, and the replica is of a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine. It took four people, eight weeks to build, which is impressive in its own right - especially considering all that sweet detail. Just look at the blades on the main fan of that jet engine.

The Lego replica is actually a cutout showing all the individual parts inside the engine. Rolls-Royce says the model includes "… everything from the large fan blades which suck air into the engine down to the combustion chambers where fuel is burned."

As massive as the Lego replica is, it's only half the size of the actual jet engine. That actual engine weighs 1.25 tons.

It's hard to believe this entire sculpture is made from Lego. Personally, I'd like to know how much all the bricks used in the replica engine actually cost, as Lego parts aren't cheap. The builders used CAD plans of the actual jet engine to build every piece as accurately as possible. I think Lego engine builder would be the most coveted job in all of Rolls-Royce. And hey, this is so much better than LEGO Minecraft.